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History of Long Distance Calling

At VIP Communications, we know a thing or two about affordable international calling. It’s hard to believe, but at one time, “long distance” meant only a few hundred miles and within the same country.

Clearly, long distance calling has advanced considerably from the beginning to the present day, where you can enjoy cheap and dependable international long distance calls.

Here’s a brief history of long distance calling, with key dates & events.

1892 – AT&T creates the first interconnected long-distance telephone network, which stretched from New York City all the way to…Chicago? Yes, Chicago Well, it was the days of horses & buggies, so that was pretty impressive!

Brief interlude: as we can see from these first two dates, early long distance calling technology crawled along at a snail’s pace.

1915 – at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition, the first coast-to-coast long distance call was revealed to the public. NOW we’re getting somewhere!

1915 – Alexander Graham Bell makes the first official transcontinental long distance call from New York City to San Francisco. The call took 23 minutes. Even back then, the Bay Area was on the forefront of technological advancements!

1951 – the first direct-dial long distance call from Englewood, NJ to Alameda, CA. And unlike Mr. Bell’s call over 35 years earlier, this one took 18 seconds.

1963 – the Europeans think this long distance stuff is catching on, and the first direct London-to-Paris long distance calls are available.

1970 – direct long distance calls from New York City to London are introduced, which is expanded to more cities the following year.

1996 – Graham Milne founds VIP Communications, a pioneering firm in the long distance & international calling industry. Finally, long distance calls were affordable enough to connect with anyone, anywhere, any time.

With our continued growth, VIP Communications continues to play an important role in long distance calling. Gone are the days of 23-minute long distance calls (thankfully). Today, callers demand high-quality calls at affordable rates…and VIP Communications delivers each and every day!

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With over 100,000 customers and 20 years of experience, we understand you expect perfect call quality, great rates and exceptional live customer service, and that’s exactly what we deliver, every connection, every day - we won’t let you down!